To Raise a Soul 58.2

One set of documents was thick while the other was thin. After considering it, Yu Zhen flipped open the thick one.

The start of the thick document revealed that Zou Chengjing had married the Lin family’s young Lin Baohong. A photo showed a relatively young Zou Chengjing. He appeared spirited and extraordinarily handsome. Without looking at the contents of the report, no one would think that he was someone who had married into, and lived with, the Lin family.

Compared to his outstanding looks, Lin Baohong was more ordinary looking. Her gaze was somewhat dull and she didn’t look very energetic. 

Yu Zhen looked for dates and, calculating for his and Lin Zouwei’s ages, guessed that Zou Chengjing and Lin Baohong’s marriage was probably arranged due to an unplanned pregnancy. Otherwise, Lin Zouwei’s age wouldn’t quite match up.

The information showed that Zou Chengjing was a Chinese citizen who had returned from overseas. His parents passed early and he grew up outside of the country. He had a foster father, Wang Dayi, who was a great master of painting and calligraphy in Hua Country.

After he married Lin Baohong, Zou Chengjing immediately took over the Lin family’s overseas business and started a life of travelling in and out of the country. He could be considered quite hardworking. Gradually, he built up their overseas business to the point where it surpassed their domestic business. Although he had married into the wife’s family, he had some standing in the Lin family.

Yu Zhen endured his dislike of Zou Chengjing and read about his smooth life experience after marriage once. There wasn’t anything which could arouse suspicion apart from his life before the marriage. 

Yu Zhen frowned, and after glancing at Yin Hexiang and Qiu Feiqian, he guessed that he hadn’t seen the crucial information yet. He put down that document and picked up the thinner one. 

His hand froze as soon as he flipped open the document.

On the first page of the document was a picture of his grandpa. It was very blurry and showed a man much younger than the person from his memories. However, after living with his grandfather for over ten years, he recognized him at a glance. 

Yu Zhen took a deep breath to calm himself and read on attentively. 

It was information from the investigation into Yu Jincheng. The details were much simpler than the details on Zou Chengjing.

Yu Jincheng was an orphan. His relatives unfortunately died in a fire when he was five years old. Eventually, he was adopted by Yu Rongfeng and they lived in C Province for seven years. When Yu Jincheng was twelve, they returned to Yu Rongfeng’s old home in H Province, where he remained until he grew to adulthood. After starting university, he broke off the father-son relationship with Yu Rongfeng.

After graduating from college, he married a fellow student named Wang Shu. They had no children. Three years later, the couple died in an accident in H Province. 

The couple died together in an accident? Why was Wang Shu still involved with Yu Jincheng when they had already divorced? 

Yu Zhen stared blankly before he carefully looked over the information once more. After he confirmed that he had read the information correctly, he stared blankly again and looked up at Yin Hexiang.

“This is the information we found. The orphan Yu Jincheng has died. And the person that lives now is the orphan Zou Chengjing who the master calligrapher, Wang Dayi, acknowledged as a friend while abroad,” Yin Hexiang explained simply. His meaning was very clear. To become Zou Chengjing, the identity of Yu Jincheng had “died” and faded away from the world.

Yu Jincheng had erased his past. To be more precise, someone had helped him erase his past and had given him the identity of a master painter and calligrapher’s adopted son who was returning from overseas.

“And Wang Shu…”

“She’s been confirmed to be dead.” Yin Hexiang sighed, unable to bear seeing his expression.

She’s really dead?

Yu Zhen put down the document, his expression a little blank.

The woman who’d begged Yu Jincheng to keep me, then heartlessly threw me aside is dead? How did she die? The couple “died due to an accident”, so how did Yu Jincheng become Zou Chengjing while Wang Shu became “confirmed dead”?

Could there be something not quite right here?

“Drink some water.”

His hand was suddenly held and a glass of medicinal smelling water was brought to his lips.

Yu Zhen returned to his senses and glanced at Yin Yan, understanding that Yin Yan was worried his mood would affect his Taoist heart. Obediently, he took a gulp of the water with the added ingredient.

His mood immediately calmed. He smiled placatingly at Qiu Feiqian and Yin Hexiang, whose worries showed in their eyes, then lowered his head again to continue reading the information.

After the information about Yu Jincheng’s seamless change into Zou Chengjing, the document only revealed minor details. There was information on the fire which caused Yu Jincheng to become an orphan, as well as information on his school track record and the “growth records” from when he was outside the country.

At the very end of the document, there was even a biography of Yu Rongfeng. That was all basic information such as the date of birth and death, and where he lived at different times. 

However, there was no mention of Yu Zhen. From the beginning to the end, the document did not once mention Yu Rongfeng’s later adoption of a grandchild.

Yin Hexiang guessed that Yu Zhen’s adoption likely didn’t follow a standardized system, so after Yu Rongfeng’s death and Yu Zhen moved away, the data on this incomplete adoption disappeared into the river of time due to the improvement of the adoption system.

After hearing his conjecture, Yu Zhen and Yin Yan exchanged looks, neither saying a word.

In truth, the adoption information was missing because they’d erased its existence the other night. The document was proof that their erasure of the information was very successful. Even Yin Hexiang’s investigator failed to dig up information about a grown-up grandson despite looking into Yu Rongfeng.

The meal began happily, but ended in a heavy, depressing mood.

In the end, Yin Hexiang asked if Yu Zhen wanted to acknowledge Zou Chengjing as his father. If Yu Zhen wanted to, he would help him achieve that. After all, Zou Chengjing was a successful person. Yu Zhen wasn’t an illegitimate child. He was born from a legal marriage. Acknowledging his family wouldn’t negatively affect Yu Zhen. On the contrary, he could even make a jab at Zou Chengjing.  

Yu Zhen refused without the slightest bit of hesitation. He emphasized that he only wanted to be strangers with Zou Chengjing for the rest of his life. He didn’t want to have any involvement with the man at all.

Understanding his stance, Yin Hexiang patted Yu Zhen’s shoulder and exchanged a look with Qiu Feiqian which was filled with tacit understanding. They dropped the matter and no longer brought it up.

A few days later, Qiu Feiqian and Yu Zhen’s limited edition perfume series called “A Lifetime’s True Love” was abruptly publicized in advance. Very quickly, the promotional period began. The perfumes would be placed on all the shelves on Qi Xi, the Valentine’s Day of the traditional Chinese calendar.

For the first time, Yu Zhen’s name was officially spread in B city’s business circle. The previous rumor of him being a “noble young master returning from abroad” once again took off.

After the publicity for the perfume series had been released, Qiu Feiqian did a one-eighty on her past attitude of disliking socializing with other madams. She began to frequently take part in the gatherings of wives in the business circle. Each time, she brought some beautiful flowers and homemade perfumes, oil essences, scented teas, and other similar items to share with everyone. They quickly became a hit with everyone there. 

After that happened a few times, the ladies who became friends with Qiu Feiqian no longer played mahjong. They also stopped shopping and gossiped less. When they met, they often discussed Qiu Feiqian. All day long, they fiddled with perfumes, oil essences, and various plants to cultivate their moral character.

Big and small business owners in B City were bewildered, while Yu Zhen was distressed to the point where he didn’t know how to voice the problem.

I don’t know what Mom could have said to others. Yu Zhen’s little plant nursery suddenly became lively and he started receiving calls for discussing business collaborations. Some booked reservations for buying flowers, others wanted to look around the place, while some wanted to privately place orders for custom-made perfume. There was even a self-proclaimed plant breeding company that had wanted to buy the seeds and sprouts of new plant breeds. 

He declined everyone. With a headache, he explained that his plants were not for sale, they would only be gifts. On top of that, they would only be gifted to those who were fated to receive them.

After the fuss, he became busy and had no time to think about Zou Chengjing.

After yet another day passed, Old Feng suddenly called and asked him to visit a holiday resort in B City’s suburbs for the summer. In passing, he also mentioned his grandfather’s past. For the sake of tranquility, after asking Yin Yan’s advice, he simply dragged Yin Yan off to the suburbs to rest for a few days.

The villa Old Feng recommended was very remote. Though it was built close to the nearby city, it was really quiet and surrounded by mountains. The air was good and there was a faint aura drifting around, making it a feng shui treasure.

To thank Old Feng for the invitation and hospitality, Yu Zhen prepared a pot of bluegrass orchids as a gift.

“Why did you suddenly let me talk to Old Feng this time?”

Yu Zhen had to ask before he exited the car, holding onto the orchids he wanted to give Old Feng.

Yin Yan, having just unfastened his seatbelt, looked at him and asked, “Are you happy?”

Yu Zhen was surprised. “What?”

Yin Yan didn’t say anything else. He pushed open the door and got out of the car. Then he walked around front and helped him down, turning to Old Feng and the others who were waiting outside the villa.

Yu Zhen thought his attitude was a bit strange, so he glanced at his profile several times and secretly leaned toward him.

Faint depression wafted over. Surprised, he looked up at Yin Yan’s calm expression and tilted his head to his chest.

Depression, frustration, neglect, a little anger…. Then nothingness.

Yu Zhen raised his eyes to Yin Yan’s face.

Yin Yan had just finished swallowing a pill and his expression was calm like that of an immortal. There was no desire in his eyes. He said lightly, “Old Feng is here.”

Something was wrong.

Yu Zhen straightened and studied him, up and down, carefully recalling everything he’d said and done the past few days. He couldn’t find anything wrong with it, but after thinking for a while, a jarring realization came to mind.

He’d been in a bad mood due to Zou Chengjing’s affairs for a while now and hadn’t had the heart to be with Yin Yan. They’ve been in a dry spell since the last time they were intimate when Yin Yan was mercilessly denied. After holding back for so long, could it be Yin Yan… his desires were unsatisfied?